What Falls Anew
by shadoefax
Summary: 'I will do what I must to keep the balance; The balance is what keeps me together.' - Since Revan left the Jedi Order to lead victory against the Mandalorians, his path has twisted and turned leading to many a ways. A false identity is merely a mask that does not fit well; as piece by piece it slips and crumbles. - a KotOR-based novelisation, eventual AU, R&R.
1. Revan I

**Disclaimer: KotOR is owned by it's respective owners.**

**before reading this chapter, i highly suggest that you go read my story 'Flawed' first- i may be making mentions/references of the events that happen in that story. it's just a quick 10 chapters flying by your eyes, then you can return to this. **

**this particular story will pose as my attempt at a novelisation with AUness and behind-the-scenes incorporated - many of these chapters will be switching between different POVs (the pov will be noted in the chapter name) at irregular times. i've been considering this idea for a while, and have decided to put it down on (digital) paper. updates will probably be slow, and i _may_ be writing other, shorter stories in the meantime.**

**beta reader: R. Constance - a great writer and a great help.**

* * *

_:The Endar Spire: five days after assignment to Jedi Commander Bastila Shan: 3956 BBY:_

Waking up on the Endar Spire was normally an unpleasant feeling. To start off the routine, one firstly had to open their groggy eyes at 0600 hours sharp at the mark of a droning, painfully loud alarm bell. It was a constant struggle to become oriented with the sense of time and date, due to a lack of sky, sun and moon in the vacuum of space. As a result, one must drag themselves off the hard mattress and take the time to simply convince their mind that it was six in the morning, and yet pitch black. Space travel was certainly daunting to the inexperienced such as Aedyn Varn.

Fighting was different, though. The exposure and danger alleviated his senses, pumped hot adrenaline through his veins, and could turn him into a killing beast. It was a cold, hard battle that would arouse Aedyn from his sleep this particular cycle, and force his journey to twist in an interesting direction.

* * *

The harsh impact shook Aedyn out of bed, tossing him onto the floor with a spectacular crash. "Frack," he cursed. He was especially aggravated with little sleep, his eyes blinking furiously to stay open. "Are the pilots di'kute? Can't even fly a damn ship straight!" Wincing, he stood shakily, sporting newly formed bruises.

Only to fall down again in a fantastical heap as the ship rocked violently a second time.

"Oh, for the love of-!"

Aedyn was rudely interrupted by the sliding of his door, connecting to the complex hallways of the third deck. He stared dumbly as a black, orange and yellow clad Republic soldier with tufts of fair blonde hair that stuck up rushed in, yelling things like, "Get up quickly!" and "The Sith are here!" and "We have to protect Bastila!". The disruptive man's face seemed familiar - Trask Ulgo was the name that belonged to it - and Aedyn took a moment to register what the man was spouting.

_Sith are here. Bastila in danger. Must go fight._

"Can't a man get a good night's sleep?" Aedyn grumbled irately.

"No time, soldier. You're needed on the bridge right now where Bastila is meditating as we speak! You're one of her bodyguards, aren't you? Get your gears ready and let's go!"

Trask was ordering him around like he was the veteran here - like he were the higher ranking soldier. Then again, the younger man was unfortunately right. Protecting Basila Shan should be Aedyn's first priority as one of the Jedi's elite - she wasn't particularly bad company, anyway. Damn, what a patriot...

Rubbing sleep out of his tired eyes, Aedyn went forth to strap on his light armour and utility belt as quick as he could move his numb fingers. He stepped into his boots and attached his arm guards. The fittings felt right. Like they belonged as a part of Aedyn's skin. He shuddered and closed his eyes as his hand trailed down the smooth steel of his vibroblade. Perhaps Aedyn would finally awake when the same blade sung with blood...

Yet another wave shook the floor under their feet, and Aedyn's eyes shocked open. He looked back at an impatient, unbalanced Trask with steel eyes. "We'd better get moving."

Trask could only nod out of relief and the two soldiers charged into the white maze of corridors, navigating to the ship's bridge. Aedyn ran forth, keeping his dual vibroblades unsheathed. Trask who tailed behind shouted profanities with every earthquake they encountered. "We're not gonna make it at this rate!," he shouted. "We should contact Bastila or one of the other officers and request for additional orders!"

"Right!" Aedyn grunted back. He carefully raised his forearm, wary of the chance he'd accidentally slice his off-hand. The comlink on his guard activated with a bright yellow flash, and Aedyn entered the code to the bridge channel. "This is Aedyn Varn of Bastila Shan's escort team. What's the status on bridge?"

No answer came. Only static was sounded from the other end of the line.

"Can anyone read me? Is anyone there?" Aedyn cursed at the further lack of response. "We'll have to storm the bridge and check the situation ourselves." He closed the com. channel and suddenly halted 'round a corner, causing Trask to bump into him consequently. He raised a hand to silence the irritated young man, ears pricking.

Voices. He heard them clearly:

"Bastila's being taken care of by the Elite."

"We just have to take out the rest of the Republic trash."

"Be quiet! Someone might hear us and we'd have an ambush on our backs."

Aedyn fell to his knees and snuck a peek from the edge of the corner. Good, no one saw him. His eyes cast around the surroundings as he surveyed the enemy. It was a small Sith boarding party. "Two on the left, two on the right. All wielding firearms. This shouldn't be too hard," Aedyn whispered, turning back to his cover. "You ready, Ulgo?"

Trask scoffed, switching the safety lock off his rifle. "Of course I am. I was the one who woke you up." Retreating a few meters back he stood, ready. "On your signal," he mouthed.

Aedyn raised three fingers from the grip of his off-hand vibroblade. He slowly put them down, one at a time, as the Sith approached closer and closer. Grenades would be a waste against such a small group. It was better to hack them down at close range with the advantage he had in weaponry. One swift cut at each of their necks should do the trick, and even a glance could deal incredible damage thanks to upgrades in his vibroblade hilts. Aedyn's nerves tingled, shaking off the sleep that had clouded him. It was so close - the bloodshed - it was so excitingly close.

The third and last finger was brought down as the first Sith stepped out into the open, and Aedyn's breath was taken away as he stepped into an uppercut with his left blade, his other blade digging into the Sith's side on reflex.

The Sith trooper was dead in an instant, and another was shot down by Trask from the corner, falling with a short-lived scream. The other two Sith were backing away, trying to put distance between the vibroblades. Aedyn was faster though, and impaled the Sith to his left in a flash, overwhelming him. His last target cursed, and Aedyn didn't need to see his enemy's face to sense the terror rolling off him. He approached him slowly, vibroblades raised and dripping red.

"Now," Aedyn said darkly. "Why don't you tell us wh-" A sudden, loud 'PEW' sounded from behind Aedyn, rudely interrupting him, and the Sith he was cornering dropped in a heap. Aedyn whipped his head back to see Trask walking up to him. "Trask Ulgo," he said slowly.

"Yes, Varn? We should really get moving," said Trask distractedly.

"...You idiot."

Trask blinked. "Sorry, what?"

"We could've questioned him. We could've asked him what Malak's plans were and the situation on the rest of the Endar Spire, but _noooo_," Aeydn dragged on. 'You just _had_ to kill him in mid-sentence, disregarding _any_ of those chances. _My_ mid-sentence, in fact!" _Kids these days_, he scoffed. _So damn rude and foolish._

"Right, right, i'm sorry. Now can we just get going?" Trask waved the tip of his rifle vaguely to the left.

Aedyn shook his head thoughtfully. "Nevermind that. It's pointless rushing to the Bridge now. These Sith said that 'Bastila's being taken care of by the Elite'. We can only guess that these 'Elite' are Dark Jedi, and that they've overpowered her during her Battle Meditation - when she's at her weakest. If she was lucky enough, her guards would've intervened and she'd be loading into or already be in an escape pod headed for Taris. Either that, or the Republic has lost and she's already been captured." Aedyn paused. "There's also the possibility that the Sith have disabled the escape pod launchers..."

"But-"

"We'll still go to the Bridge, of course, but now our priority isn't to find and protect Bastila - it's to stay alive!" Aedyn started into a run. "You know what," he called out to Trask, glancing over his shoulder. "I'm starting to feel awake now!"

"Ha. Ha," Trask chided. A fraction of a second later, he cried out, "Sith, two o'clock!"

Aedyn ducked down, swiftly dodging the short sword that swung from his right and travelled over his head. He raised his vibroblades to block the Sith's next powerful strike, and jumped back, surprised at how much sweat collected on the palms of his hands. The two combatants stood still, waiting for the other to make a move.

_This guy isn't too bad._ Aedyn inwardly smirked. _But he's still not good enough_.

Aedyn broke the silence and dashed forward on the Sith's right, then dodged with lightning speed, tricking his opponent's sword hand to fell in empty air. _An opening._ Aedyn vibroblades were like scissors, cutting into the enemy's flesh and bone with a blade swinging from either side. He felt the solid 'thud' under his feet as the Sith fell to the floor, writhing in agony. Seconds later his body lay limp and cold. Aedyn stepped over it. letting the tips of his blades trail behind. Just another obstacle taken care of.

* * *

When Aedyn and Trask finally arrived at the shadowed bridge, the first thing Aedyn noticed was the many bodies that littered the dark floor. The second thing he noticed was how dark it was. The only light source present was the flickering blue terminal screens and blaring red alert alarms.

He grimaced at the familiar sight, stepping through the maze of faces and limbs. But a sense of satisfaction would hit Aedyn whenever he saw the limp corpses of his enemies.

"Let's search the bodies, Ulgo. There could be something useful here." Aedyn sheathed his vibroblades, bending down pick a few thermal detonators he eyed. After also recovering a large backpack, some medkits and energy cells, he turned to Trask, who was looking into the main computer terminal of the Bridge. "Find anything interesting?"

"I'm setting up a com. channel that should be able to contact Carth Onasi and linking it to our communicators," Trask said. "Should be ready in a few seconds..." The Endar Spire shook, making Aedyn grip the railing to steady himself. Not good. The ship can't last for too long now with this much damage it was taking. An explosion erupted in one of the navigating panels lining the steel wall, sending hot orange sparks flying.

Aedyn raised an arm to shield off the tiny fires, which bounced harmlessly off his armour. "You nearly done, Ulgo?" he called out.

"Got it. We can contact him later on once we near the escape pods. Let's hurry." Trask glanced around the dead. "Is...there anything else we need to do here?" His voice dropped, leaving the question hanging on silence.

Aedyn shook his head. "No," he said, softly. "No." So, Trask Ulgo was beginning to realise it - what it really meant to be a soldier; what the purpose of a war was. The poor kid was realising that often, soldiers were only pawns in the larger picture. They died quickly. And were forgotten just as fast. A harsh lesson every fighter must go through.

_Sure, young people are rude, foolish, and patriotic. But still, so innocent._

Aedyn nudged Trask's arm. "You have the surpass the dead, Ulgo," he said lightly. "And keep living for yourself-"

Trask straightened his demeanour. "My heart and soul exist only for the Republic."

"- and the Republic, yeah, whatever. My _point_ is," Aedyn continued, "you need to keep going. You let their lives live on in your memory as long as you can hold. You're a soldier, aren't you? This is what you've been training for. Take a word from your elder, Ensign."

"It feels _wrong_ though - that all these men and women gave up their lives and none of them are able to keep their identities as individuals. They're all lost in a greater flow of some sort." Trask stopped abruptly, daring to snicker. "And to think I was the one who got you out of bed when the Sith attacked."

Aedyn brushed the comment off and hid a smile of surprise at the amusement they found, returning to his serious manner. "Now let's get out of here else we get blown to kingdom come with this ship." Aedyn's eyes flickered back to Trask. "Contact Onasi, Ulgo, before the Sith get to us." The two exited the Bridge, the damaged doors taking time to open with a flurry of sparks and creaks. The white lights and walls of the hallway blinded Aedyn as he stepped out from the shadows, forcing his eyes to become slits. He unsheathed one of his vibroblades, keeping an eye on the area as he guarded Trask.

"Hello? Captain Onasi? This is Ensign Trask Ulgo and Aedyn Varn of Commander Shan's escort team! Please respond!" Trask spoke with an urgent tone, gradually growing more and more desperate. "Captain Onasi, please respond!"

A faint, static voice at last sounded from Trask's comlink, which was set on speaker. *_"This is Captain Carth Onasi speaking. State your situation - quickly."*_

"We're alone at the Bridge, Sir. Everyone inside, be it Republic, Jedi or Sith, are stone dead. Bastila is nowhere to be found."

_*"I've just received intel. You two soldiers are the last surviving members on the Endar Spire along with myself. Bastila should've already ejected from the escape pods, so you're main objective is to meet with me at the launch and get off this ship! Keep the com. channel open; We may need to call each other again, and none of us can afford to wait for a pending connection."*_

"Right, Sir!" Trask turned to Aedyn with an ashen face. A look which the latter returned. "Impossible," he breathed. "This isn't...we're the last...kriff..."

"I know, it's like I said," Aedyn spoke darkly. "And that's all the more reason to do what Onasi says and head for the escape pods." The duo continued to run through the hallways, weaving left and right around corners. They were being guided by Aedyn's map on his datapad.

"Three hundred meters until we reach the pods," Aedyn grunted, his legs picking up speed as they ran hard.

They reached the end of the hallway, the door at the end sliding open to greet them. Lying in wait in the adjacent room there stood a tall, bald man donning dark robes and wielding a metal cylinder object. With a snap-hiss, a glowing red blade spouted out from the tip and Aedyn froze in his tracks. His blue eyes momentarily lost their steel, but _only_ momentarily. As the Dark Jedi turned and grinned at them slowly, Aedyn's mind whirled, conjuring up possible tactics and tricks. There was a chance - a very slim one - Aedyn could beat this Dark Jedi. The vibroblade he currently wielded was fitted with cortosis-weave, after all, and he had a few tranquilizers up his sleeve...

"Frack, it's a Dark Jedi!" Trask ran forward, shoving Aedyn back with an arm. 'Go to the escape pods, Varn!" he yelled. "I'll hold this guy off!"

Aedyn ended up stumbling back to the other side of the door, protesting with rage, "No, you _idiot_, Ulgo! You don't stand a chance! You have to move on, remember? You have to keep living!" Before he could open his mouth further, Trask cut him off.

"It looks like i'll be joining the flow, Varn," he said, his back turned to Aedyn. Aedyn heard the choke in the younger man's voice, and before he could step forward, Trask fired at the control panel and the door separating them began spiraling shut quickly. Much too quickly.

"Trask Ulgo!" Aedyn tried again, his heart throbbing with frustration, yet it was also touched by Trask's bravery. Aedyn was answered with a glimpse of frightful, yet determined icy-blue eyes that glanced back at him. They were the last thing he saw of Ensign Trask Ulgo before the door closed shut.

Aedyn cursed silently, but he couldn't waste the window of opportunity. He couldn't waste this precious sacrifice. So he took the detour and ran in the opposite direction. As he ran hard though, he couldn't help but think with rage. That Trask was such a fool - he could've kept his life if he had just listened to Aedyn, who actually had a chance of fighting! Aedyn guessed it was just a part of Trask's nature though - to do heroics right til the very end.

_What a patriot,_ he thought bitterly, dwelling into a hollow feeling he knew all too well.

* * *

_*"I should warn you - you have a Dark Jedi tailing you two or so hundred meters behind you. By the way...where's the Ensign?"*_ emitted the deep, static voice of Carth Onasi.

Aedyn's voice was bleak. "Dead."

There was a short pause. _*"I'm sorry to hear that."*_

"This is no time to mourn, Onasi. I'm sure you and I both know that," Aedyn said through gritted teeth. "I'd appreciate it if you readied one of the escape pods now. I should be with you soon." Aedyn glanced over his shoulder worriedly. Was that a humming sound he could hear? Damn it all! Aedyn couldn't leave Trask's sacrifice to have been in vain.

_Don't think, Varn __Just keep running, Varn. Just keep running. _If he turned left here and continued right down to reach the end of the hallway, Carth Onasi should be there on the other side with the escape pods, and there laid his ticket out of here.

The blast door, which slid open, revealed a grim man who wore a burnt orange jacket waiting on the other side. Behind the man lined an array of escape pods, some already launched.

"Carth Onasi?" Aedyn questioned, to which the other nodded.

Now that he could hear the man in person, Aedyn detected the hint of experience and harshness in Carth's voice. "Glad you made it," he said, rushed. "I could hug you if we had the fracking time! Now get in, Varn! We're getting off this doomed ship, before the Sith catch us. I've rigged two other pods to launch at the same time as ours - that way if the Sith fire at any, we have a sixty-six percent chance of not being hit."

Aedyn stepped into the vacant pod, making room for Carth to join in. There was a short, hurried scuffle of swords, blasters, hands and feet before the two men could fit in comfortably. Once the captain had strapped himself in, Carth quickly pressed the launch sequence and the pod's hatch closed. "Brace yourself."

"I knew that much already." Aeydn strapped on his seatbelt and spoke slowly, suddenly beginning to feel heavy. "You know...there was no need to rig those escape pods, Onasi. The Sith wouldn't..." he trailed off, struggling to keep his eyelids from drooping. "...they wouldn't dare fire at any pods without knowing whether Bastila was in one of them or...not." What the hell was wrong with him? _Shake it off, Varn!_

Carth glanced at him worriedly. "Varn, you okay there?" His brown eyes stared. "Are you coming down with something?"

"I'm...not sure," Aedyn muttered.

The escape pod gave a shudder, and a sudden velocity forced Carth and Aedyn to become glued to the backs of their seats as the pod was launched out from the Endar Spire into space, plummeting towards Taris. The planet's misty atmosphere of blues and greens approached closer and closer with every shake and shudder of the pod.

Aedyn's head had smashed harshly against his seat, dulling his vision and causing his thoughts to run in circles. Why was he feeling so weak suddenly? So tired? Why couldn't he think straight? The interior of the escape pod was dark, only sometimes illuminated by the red blaster bolts and bright explosions flying past the view window. Aedyn welcomed this eerie darkness, his eyes shutting close and refusing to open.

The pod shook again, violently, and a sudden, sharp pain erupted at Aedyn's temple, provoking him to scream before he succumbed to the darkness and knew no more.

* * *

_They came as flashes and sparks. In unpredictable and untraceable movements._

_He was standing calmly in the center of a dark-draped bridge, risen on a pedestal, waiting. The security door opposite his glory spiraled open, revealing a group of worn and weary Jedi and Republic soldiers - the intruders storming his flagship. A strangely familiar and attractive brunette woman was in the lead, wielding a yellow double-bladed lightsaber. It's golden beams cast shadows across her determined face and illuminated her grey eyes. He stared back into those glaring eyes, though hiding behind the safety of his mask. _

_He'd challenge her, he decided. And twist and bend her to his will. He smirked..._

_The world changed and suddenly, his iightsaber was drawn now, a blood-red beam in his grip. They were fighting. They were all fighting against one another. Everywhere - the Sith, Jedi and Republic. He but merely stood ready and watched, mocking the foolishness of them all, and cursing their blind ideals and goals. It was a divided world full of people who were easily corrupted, forgotten, and denied. He would change it all, though. He'd do whatever it took to strengthen the people of this world, this universe._

_But first, he had to subjugate this threat to his plan. This threat that went by the name 'Bastila Shan'. So he raised his lightsaber and charged into the fray, crossing blades with the entities that stood in his path..._

_The world shifted again. Now, a sharp and excruciating pain travelling up his arm. A curse leaving his lips. An explosion. Then...nothing..._

* * *

**so i hope you guys found this first chapter interesting! be on the lookout for more :P the next chapter will be returning to bastila.**

**Glossary: **

**di'kute - "idiots" in Mando'a. plural of "di'kut"**

**cortotis-weave - a swordsmithing technique used on melee weapons such as vibroblades and swords that allowed the blade to withstand lightsaber blows**


	2. Bastila I

**Disclaimer: KotOR belongs to it's respective owners.**

* * *

Bastila Shan awakened with a groan, her muscles flexing with an aching pain. Her seat belt was awkwardly digging into her chest and gut, making movement difficult without first stretching forth to undo the straps. For moments Bastila merely sat as a lump in her seat, blinking out tired eyes and cleansing out the disorientation that clouded her mind until she could think straight.

_That vision I just had. Could it be...?_ Bastila recalled the vision clearly, running it over and over like a holo-vid. Yes, Revan was there, standing on the bridge. There was a short-lived battle before Malak's ship fired and the ceiling caved in... Bastila moaned in defeat and buried her heavy head in her hands. She let her hair get tangled between her fingers in an unsightly manner, and reveled in the pain that shot down her roots as she dragged her hands down. So she really _did_ have a vision about the confrontation.

Jolting upright, Bastila gasped, eyes widening. But that meant-!

She shook herself, climbed out of her damaged seat and inspected the damage on her escape pod. It was very dim inside, lit only by some faint fires that lay outside. She squinted her eyes, trying to stagger around in the cramped space. Most of the pod was intact, providing a small shelter that protected her from the very same fires flickering outside. The entrance hatch was still securely locked, but it was deathly cold in the pod, reducing Bastila to slight shivers.

With a pounding headache, Bastila made her way to the small communications panel at the back of the escape pod and began to type as furiously and quickly as she could with her numb fingers. She had to try and signal for help, even if no one was within the transmitting range. As she distractedly input numbers and pressed buttons, her mind wandered elsewhere - to very worrying matters more so than the fate of her own life.

That vision she had. It was from the perspective of _Revan, _and the scenes that were shown were accurate down to the very last speck of detail of the real event. So there was a chance - a very high chance - that Revan's memories were at last resurfacing. And that also meant the search for the Star Forge would finally begin - for real.

"It's time," Bastila muttered in a coarse whisper, her finger hovering over the control that would send her transmission. She let the finger fall, and waited with the pending connection. Oh how torturously slow it the progress bar was moving.

Bastila hoped that someone, anyone, would receive her signal for help. More specifically, that that 'someone' would be Revan. Now that his memories were returning, she had to keep an eye on him and discretely extract the missing pieces to the Star Map - the key to the Star Forge. Master Zhar had taught Bastila all there was to know on how to perform this extraction without arousing suspicion. Though, Revan was certainly not one to be easily fooled.

Aedyn Varn and Revan were one of the same, a man who was one of the greatest leaders, strategists and tacticians to date, a man confused on which side he stood for. Bastila would tread lightly around him, and gently ease into his mind little by little. Only by such a way may she extract the necessary memories without directly alerting Revan of his former life. Of course, he would regain them all eventually. She only hoped time would be on the Council's side.

Bastila checked back on the communications panel, pleased with the transmission she sent. Surely it must have reached _someone_ within the range of fifteen kilometres on ground level. She had connected the escape pod's channel to her own comlink. Theoretically, if the receiver of her transmission sent a return call, she would receive it on her own portable device. Bastila smirked, satisfied that she had taken that extra Computers course during her Jedi training back on Dantooine.

_And all that everyone else was ever interested in was negotiations and lightsaber forms._

Now. It was foolish to stay inside the escaped pod and fall prey to any menacing Sith or wild animals. Bastila needed to find a place to hide and stay without attracting any attention - at least until she received a reply to her transmission. Shaking herself and springing up with a 'huff', Bastila searched for a medkit and some emergency rations. After much lip-biting and thought, she also snatched a supply of toiletries.

To finish off her departure, Bastila summoned her lightsaber to her hand, igniting it's yellow beams. She carefully sliced through the panels lining the back of her escape pod with a satisfying display of sparks and intense crackling; it was best to be sure that no scavengers could uncover any military information. Bastila clipped her lightsaber to her hip and drew a shaky breath, placing a cold hand on the wheel that would open the pod's hatch. She sucked in a breath and turned the wheel. The hatch slowly lifted open with a hiss.

Bastila welcomed the unpleasant gust of cold wind that swept across her pale face.

She pulled and hoisted herself up, her eyes flickering from corner to corner. Bastila couldn't see, nor sense any enemies lurking behind the small, cold fires. Her sigh of relief transformed into a shudder as another gust of wind touched her fragile body. _I must move quickly._

Bastila, with the aid of the Force, leapt out of the pod with her possessions, landing far beyond the fires and breaking into a run. From what she could see, the area was underground and abandoned. And dark. Very Dark. But she didn't dare to strike a match and alert her presence to the dark world. Surrounding her were endless walls of earth that, in the dim light and cold, gave the impression of a dingy dungeon.

A loud, sudden gurgling cry brought Bastila to a falter. She paid little heed however, and continued to pound her feet on the ground one foot after the other. Two, no, three more distant cries joined in the ghostly chorus, sending chills down her spine. _What creatures do those cries belong_ _to?_ Force forbid that she fight anything with fists in this darkness and cold. Worse yet, that she'd have to resort to her lightsaber and expose her true identity as a Jedi. Alone as she may be, Bastila just couldn't risk it.

As she ignored the strange cries and went on her way, she silently wailed in despair. Where in the galaxy was she going to find a place to hide? Ideally, Bastila would prefer an abandoned apartment of some sort, but there was such place and no such no way of exit in this desolate - and rather smelly - land. There wasn't even a small cave or trench in sight! She wrinkled her nose, halting only heave over a rack of choked coughs. Bastila thought she wouldn't be surprised if this underground wasteland was directly linked to Taris. She closed her eyes with a moan and slumped against a giant boulder she happened upon. Bastila's nose followed the path of the awful stench clouding her senses and the urge to vomit aroused within her. The sewer must be close.

_Wait. _Bastila's grey eyes sparked. _Wait a minute. Any of the disgusting, smelly sewers that link into this dark plain could be my way out! _Sewers were underground connections from place to place, after all. It guaranteed Bastila a quick way to the surface and a safe place free of revolting smells. Surely.

Bastila quirked an eyebrow, eyeing the old, rustic sewer entrance hammered into the ground. It lay just meters away. _Well, that was easy. _She edged closer, raising the palm of her cold hand to cover her mouth. _Then again, i shouldn't have expected anything other in a place covered with this stench._

* * *

It smelt and looked much worse on the inside than it did on the out.

Bastila sighed, her mind becoming confounded with the overwhelming stench of waste and sweat. Her worn boots clicked and clacked on the metal walkway that twisted and winded in a never-ending fashion. Below she could hear the rushing of dirty sewage water that passed through the connected tunnels.

And so here Bastila was, strolling merrily along the walkway, when a red blaster bolt happened to suddenly whiz past. She sensed the attack and barely dodged in time, curling her body to twist into the clear. Bastila heard the numerous loud, heavy breaths - there must be an immensely large group of thugs, all armed and ready for blood. Another blaster bolt came with a delay time of nanoseconds, and Bastila's eyes set. Her hand wandered towards her hip...

_No!_

Bastila sharply drew her hand away like it had been stung, and cried out with pain when the blaster fire hit her leg. The leg promptly gave way, leaving Bastila to fall and smash onto the cold, wet walkway. Her bag of supplies flew out of her grasp, it's contents spilling over the railing and into the flow of sewerage. Blinding, stabbing pain shot up her injured leg with her attempts to right it and Bastila muffled her groans through her gritted teeth. But she let the pain consume her, for fear of revealing her identity as a Jedi. Bastila couldn't risk activating her lightsaber with this number of hostiles beginning to surround her. Even though it would aid her in a fight, one of the thugs was sure to get away and spread word. So Bastila took the pain, and sank to clench her eyes shut and to quiver on the walkway.

One of the thugs stepped forth to approach her, laughing haughtily."What's this? A woman? Pretty one, too." He bent over Bastila, carelessly nudging her injured leg with his dirty boot. "It's useless now, this limb," the smiling thug said. "But i'm sure someone would find an interest in the rest of you."

Bastila stifled a scream, biting hard on her tongue. Tears pricked her eyes from pain...and anger. _These imbeciles, _she cursed. Bastila would've taken care of these thugs _easily_ if there didn't run a risk of the Sith catching wind of her appearance.

Another thug came into view - a dark skinned man with hard eyes. The way he held himself, and the way the other cronies quietened when he appeared...was this man their leader? Bastila's eyes flickered to the lightsaber now lying across the walkway from her, having fallen off her belt when she landed. Her blood turned cold, rushing heavily through her veins, the rapid thumping of her heart filling her ears. _Will he make the connection?_

The one who approached Bastila first stepped back. "Brejik, what should we do with this one? Sell her on the next market? I _bet_ she's one of the Republic soldiers in the escape pods that crashed down here. She'd fetch a hefty pri-"

"Shut your mouth," snapped the man called Brejik. "And bind her up!" Two thugs approached with stun cuffs, rendering Bastila useless without even the ability to stand. Brejik slowly raised and placed the cold nozzle of his blaster against Bastila's sweaty forehead.

Bastila's eyes widened. Were they to kill her now? She'd have no choice but to fight for her life and expose her true identity if that was to be the case. Bastila couldn't afford to join the flow of Force just yet. Brejik's finger had yet to pull the trigger, though. He - They - were waiting for something. Somewhat out of curiosity and somewhat out of defiance, Bastila forced a smile at the threatening man. "Are you going to kill me here?" she said mockingly. "Right here, right now? Is that really the right course of action?" Bastila received a stinging slap to her cheek in answer, only adding onto the sharp pain throbbing from her bad leg. She gasped sharply, wincing. To her relief however, the blaster was promptly lowered and returned to its snug holster. _So I am not to die today, after all. _

_Thank you._

Brejik chuckled and stood, eyeing down upon Bastila's defeated frame. "You're one feisty woman, alright. I'll let you in on a few of the details. We know you came from the escape pods, and we know you're a Republic soldier - an officer, too, judging by that prestigious-looking badge you have pinned on. And," Brejik continued, pulling out a very familiar-looking lightsaber hilt, "we also know that you're a Jedi."

_Frack. One of the thugs must have noticed it and had the brains to pick it up. _"I'm no Jedi," Bastila lied. "That lightsaber belonged to my bodyguard, who died in the crash."

"It's no use, woman." Brejik tossed Bastila's lightsaber from hand to hand, as if taunting her for the victory she could have had if she had been willing to take a risk. It glinted in the green glow of the sewers. "Even if you're not a Jedi, this lightsaber would be proof enough to anyone else who laid their eyes on you." Brejik raised his voice to his cronies. "Hear that, men? We'll put this lady up for grabs, and see which gang is worthy of claiming her!" They replied with a roar of approval, beginning to boast and jeer.

Bastila spat, "You're crazy. if you let out word that I was a Jedi, let alone a Republic officer, the Sith will catch wind and come right straight for you and the rest of the underworld gangs. My life is valuable to them - they'll annihilate any who stands in their way. You're better off distributing me nice and quietly, or letting me run off."

"I don't think so, woman," Brejik smirked maliciously so, that Bastila cringed. "I'll be waiting for the Sith to arrive gladly with open arms." He snorted, "Of course, the Black Vulkars would have already left the scene by then with you in chains, and we'd be off to sell you to whatever bounty comes. Sound like a plan, men?" Another conspicuous roar sounded.

"Wait, you mean that you intend to have-"

"Intend to have the Sith take out all the other gangs? Of course! Why the frack wouldn't I? This is too good an opportunity to miss! The Black Vulkars will become the rulers of the Underworld, and there will be no one left to stop us. All we have to do is put you up in an advert, and let the other gangs take the bait. Before we spirit you away and let the Sith do all the dirty work. A swoop race would be the perfect type of gathering..."

Bastila pleaded frantically. "The Sith are too powerful for the likes of you. They'll kill you all!" _And I'll be thrown into the hands of Darth Malak. _

"Unlike you useless Republic, the Black Vulkars ain't afraid to play dirty. The Sith won't even realise we'd left the conjunction."

"But-!" Bastila sprang forward in desperation, promptly earning herself a blow to the ribs. With a cry, she fell on her bad leg and waves of pain pulsed endlessly. She grit her teeth, cursing. "You don't even understand how grave this war is, do you? Unhand me!"

Brejik growled, roughly grabbing Bastila's collar and forcefully hoisting her to face him eye-to-eye. "Listen here, schutta. You're in no position to be giving orders, unlike in your pompous life back in the safe walls of the Republic. Here in the lower levels of Taris, every man's allegiance is to himself, and you do whatever you can to survive and grab hold of the reins. Now be quiet like a good little prisoner and play your part!"

_Best I do stay quiet. Don't want to risk ending my life - again. _Bastila sighed, pulling a defeated face. Brejik took it as a sign of compliance, smirking.

"Good, good," he said. Immediately he straightened and barked to his underlings. "Take her back to the base, and blindfold her!"

A dirty, ragged piece of make-shift cloth was drawn across her eyes and tied securely. Bastila felt a tug on the cuffs surrounding her wrists and collapsed on her bad leg when she was pulled to stand. After some struggle, a strong pair of arms suddenly swept Bastila off her feet with a yelp, and she felt herself lifted and being carried over someone's shoulder.

A voice - Brejik's - said, "Treat her wound when we get back to base. We want her to be functional for the buyers when we sell her off."

"Aw, Brejik, but that ain't fun," someone said. And the Black Vulkars proceeded to lug Bastila around as a fresh catch, back to their vile lair.

She thought she ought to be happy she'd be getting treatment, but all she could do was shudder at his voice and sway back and forth in the arms of her haulier, all the while her head pounding painfully.

* * *

It didn't take long for the Black Vulkars to arrive and regroup at their base, after which Bastila was promptly carried and laid down somewhere and un-blindfolded. Her tired grey eyes met the dull sight of confining metal walls, rusted medical equipment, and dim lights that barely provided any light. She must be in a medical bay, she concluded.

A deep, gruff voice said, "Don't move," as a needle sharply pierced the flesh of her wounded leg. It was painful, this one, and Bastila gasped sharply. The blaster wound was then bandaged tightly, and a glass of water was pushed into her bound hands. She drank it gladly - she was so thirsty. Then she was left alone and locked in the medical bay. That was good, she could use the peace and quiet to heal.

Bastila's senses were becoming clouded and dazed - conveying a mere blur of the world around her. What was clear, however, was the one question: 'What do I do now?'

The transmission she had sent earlier from her escape pod would have reached a signal by now, and hopefully met the ears of Republic survivors - of Revan. Assuming that _someone_ had received the transmission, Bastila could expect a rescue attempt, or at least, a safehouse; a safe entity for her to fall back on. If so, the only thing she could do was wait patiently and do what she could to expose the Black Vulkars before she was sold off. Although ideally, Bastila would prefer to find a way out of the Black Vulkars' clutches herself and make escape - in such a way that she would be able to walk away safely and comfortably.

It was too soon though, much too soon for any chances.

The comlink hidden in her armguard gave a silent green blink, barely visible through the folds in the light armour. Bastila smiled, lying down to relax on her bed. So she had indeed received a reply to the transmission she had sent out earlier. Perfect. For now, she would wait and bid her precious time, knowing that something - someone - was there to back her up and catch her, should she fall.

Bastila braced herself for the hard days that were sure to follow under the shadow of her captors. _Hopefully they are short-lived,_ she thought, before willing herself to rest.

* * *

**if you had not been following my previous fanfiction since its pilot chapter, you've just experienced my epically slow writing skills :). **

**thanks for those who reviewed my first chapter - it's really motivating for me as i was writing! (it took me a month and a half instead of three months to update a story, yay!) keep posted.**


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